The expectation is rising day by day: some new baby rabbits are about to join our family! But how can we help our pets to cope with this stage of their lives? Today we are going to give you a few useful tips.
If you suspect that the rabbit is pregnant and will give birth soon, you should begin to prepare the hutch for the babies’ arrival. Above all, just before the birth, you have to separate the couple by taking the male away, otherwise he could impregnate the female just after giving birth and before weaning is over. A few dividing panels are all you need to do this.
With the Ranch 120, for example, the two-storey hutch can be subdivided with an easy-to-use lid, which creates two spaces – one up, one down. The Cottage rabbit hutch is also very good in this situation, and can also be divided into two areas.
Once the two rabbits have been separated, you should prepare the area where the birth will take place, which has to be warm, given that rabbits are born without any fur. And it is best to add some straw so that she can give birth inside the hutch in complete comfort and without being too visible.
The Ranch and Cottage hutches have been designed to be easily cleaned, and have a roof that can be completely opened. They are also very spacious homes, and are built of TREE FRIEND brand Nordic pine, harvested from an eco-sustainable forest. Then it is important that the bedding is put on the other side from where the nest for the newborns is located.
The rabbits are ready to be born between 31 and 33 days after conception: birth occurs at night, without any need of help from us, except for subsequent cleaning. If any of the newborn rabbits should be found out of the nest, it would be best to put them back in it and provide a hot water bottle, covered with a cloth, in the hutch. It is normal that the mother only goes into the next to feed the little ones twice a day. If they have rounded stomachs that means they have been fed, so you shouldn’t worry. If that is not the case, then it would be best to contact a vet.
You will have to clean the nest every day and add new layer material, until they are strong enough to hop out and use the litter. You have to be very careful when you touch the little ones, and ensure that you only do so with hands that are absolutely clean, until weaning has begun – when they are around eight weeks old – to avoid any possible bacterial infections, which could be very dangerous for them.
At this stage the baby rabbits will be big enough to leave the nest, jumping with ease and making us happy!